People put packs of iPhone 4S, each containing five sets, in a luggage outside an Apple Store in Hong Kong Nov 11, 2011. Those iPhones were bought from "professional queuers" lining up for days before the product was officially released. Many of the new iPhones were expected to ship into the Chinese mainland for higher resale prices. [Photo/Agencies]

HK launches iPhone lottery to curb scalpers

Apple in Hong Kong will introduce a lottery system for the iPhone 4S to ease the problem of scalpers who caused the launch of the new model in the capital to be suspended, Beijing Morning Post reported.

Customers will be required to fill out a reservation online and will receive a response letter by 9 pm the same day, the paper said.

The reservation system is open for only three hours a day. Customers will have to produce ID that matches their reservation, the report said.